Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis has claimed that his team are entering a “new era of financial firepower” that means they can compete with the richest clubs in the world in the transfer market. Gazidis indicated that Arsenal were ready to break their famously rigid pay structures and bid for the best player available, demonstrating this by saying they could sign Wayne Rooney if they wanted.

Rooney would likely cost more than £20million and demand over £200,000 a week in wages, but has been linked with Arsenal several times this summer, with Arsene Wenger saying he would not turn down the chance to sign the England striker.

Fellaini is now apparently Wenger’s number one target, with the Belgian seen as the perfect man to add some physical presence to Arsenal’s midfield. The 25-year-old scored eleven times in the Premier League last summer.

In terms of outgoings, there has been plenty of speculation about how Arsenal might reshape their defence this summer, with Thomas Vermaelen apparently being made available for a transfer and Newcastle United’s Steven Taylor lined up as a possible replacement for the Belgian. Ashley Williams is also being linked with a move to the Emirates.

The Italian side have also been linked with Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger as they attempt to replace Hugo Campagnaro, who will join Inter on a free this summer. Koscielny is expected to stay this summer, but has indicated he could leave Arsenal in the future if the club is unable to challenge for trophies.

Nick Harris

I'm Nick Harris, Spurs fan and sports writer. Alongside HITC, I'm the founder, editor, writer, and fan of footballspirals.com and can be found on Twitter - @nicksharris. When I'm not watching sport I'm usually drinking coffee and checking updates on my phone in an antisocial manner.